Relationships

When I was young, my friend let me borrow the red crayon from his new box. So I let him ride my bike. When we got older, my friend defended me in a snowball fight and sat with me at lunch so I wouldn’t have to eat alone. Years later, when we were in high school, and I had forgotten my book, my friend “saved my life” by lending me his book so I could do my homework. What would I do without true friends? Your definition of friendship may change during your lifetime, but its value won’t. True friends have fun together, even when they’re doing nothing special. They communicate without talking and seem close despite living miles apart.    Read more…

Happily Ever After

So, you’re a vegetarian? Great. You go to the gym every day? Wonderful. You lost 14 pounds on your newfangled diet? I’m happy for you. You’re voting for the Democratic (Republican or Independent) candidate? Super. You’re a devoted person of faith? Good for you. Now, do you want my opinion? It’s wonderful that you’ve assumed such a healthy lifestyle; that you’re so passionate about your beliefs and committed to your causes; and that you want to raise your kids just like your parents raised you. But . . . But that doesn’t mean I have to agree with you. Believe me, I’m not trying to pass judgment; quite to the contrary. Unlike multiple-choice tests, in life there may be two    Read more…

Take 10 minutes and say thanks to a special person in your life. The teacher who inspired you to greatness . . . mentor who showed you the way . . . friend who remained by your side . . . spouse who makes everything worthwhile . . .   Dear Caron, There are many times that I wanted to write you this note, but I couldn’t find the right occasion or the proper words to tell you how much you mean to me. What do you say to someone who makes life worth living? You’re my best friend, confidante, and of course, my wife. I’m so grateful that you entered my life and that we made our shared commitment    Read more…

The destruction of trust does not happen without warning: A friend who was always there when needed begins to return calls sporadically; spouses stop confiding in each other; a company communicates with its employees less frequently, providing less information or holding back information. In the case of a company, the reactions may be a high degree of fear, suspicion, absenteeism, low job satisfaction, decreased commitment, and high turnover. People become risk-averse and withdraw into themselves. More time is spent justifying previous actions than adding value to the organization; more time is spent figuring out how to get things approved than completing the work at hand; and more time is spent figuring out the political implications of doing something than doing    Read more…

Once you breach a confidence, even of a friend, your relationship is permanently damaged. No matter how much you apologize or how often you assure them that it won’t happen again, there will always be an element of doubt. This applies to personal information or information about their organization; moreover, to avoid suspicion, avoid breaching your own organization’s wall of confidentiality. Once you violate your own organization’s confidentiality, even in a small way, clients will begin to wonder if you will do the same to them. If you like this article, subscribe to our blog so that you don’t miss a single post. Get future posts by RSS feed, e-mail or Facebook. It’s FREE. Click your favorite option (top right).

Remember your first date with that special someone? You spent hours combing through your wardrobe, fixing your hair, and making sure that the food and ambiance were perfect. You staged the “event” like a producer would a Broadway show. Ah yes, you may even have talked to the “big guy upstairs” to make sure that the weather would be glorious. The day finally approached . . . It was a HUGE success. (BIG sigh.) What was next? Anticipation (LOTS of it) . . . Your mind replayed every moment of the date more times than reruns of The Brady Bunch. “Did he have as good a time as I had?” “Should I call her now or would it be too    Read more…

Some people have it all. They’re talented, motivated, and know exactly what they want out of life. These folks want success so badly they can taste it, and their behavior reflects that drive. And yet, even though they have so much promise and so much to give, this fairy tale doesn’t always have a happy ending. I’m sure you know people who fit the bill. Every step they take is measured against how they’ll benefit personally; everything they do has a quid pro quo; and every conversation they have is steered to their favorite topic — themselves. You can rest assured that when they call, it’s because they want something from you; they use people as pawns to get what    Read more…

Everyone in the organization, from the top to the bottom, should strive to communicate more effectively. According to research, we spend 7 out of every 10 minutes that we are awake communicating, and that communication time is devoted 9 percent to writing, 16 percent to reading, 30 percent to speaking, and 45 percent to listening. Are you a good listener? When report cards are given out for how well we listen, however, very few of us would receive passing grades. Barriers to listening include assuming a subject is uninteresting and tuning out, focusing on how something is said rather than on what is being said, reacting too quickly before the message is completed, picking up on emotional words and not    Read more…

Some people are lazy bums. They do just enough to get by and would prefer to watch others work rather than lift a finger. They’re the kind of folks who’d step over something on the floor rather than bend down to pick it up. These sorry individuals watch the clock and push paper all day, only to go home to unwind from their “tough” day at the office — before turning into couch potatoes. These lazy folks give new meaning to the term “deadweight.” Their only skill is coming up with creative excuses about why they can’t (or better yet, won’t) work. They’re experts at flying under the radar and evading responsibility. And, although everyone knows their game, lazy people    Read more…